Italy Bids to Derail Russia's Fed Cup Juggernaut

The Fed Cup semifinals are being staged this weekend, with defending champions Russia playing away in the Italian resort of Castellaneta Marina, and the Czech Republic hosting the United States in Brno. Elsewhere, World Group Play-offs are to be contested, highlighted by new tennis power Serbia gunning to join the elite eight-team competition for the first time.

Two years ago, Italy's Francesca Schiavone declared that if the final her team had just lost against Russia had been played on a clay court, and not indoors in Moscow, the Italians would have won. It was a moot point, of course, but now the feisty veteran has a chance to put her money where her mouth is - just as she did when Italy won the event in 2006.

That's no easy task, of course, but not a hopeless one. Russia's policy of rotating its stars from one tie to the next has been highly successful - the team has won 15 of its last 16 ties, and lifted the trophy in four of the past five years - but it means newly-crowned No.1 Dinara Safina is not present. That should have left world No.6 Vera Zvonareva at the vanguard, but the 24-year-old has been forced out by torn ankle ligaments, and suddenly the playing field looks more level. 

Still, ninth-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova is more than capable of stepping up to the plate - she is, in fact, on an eight-match singles winning streak in Fed Cup. Kuznetsova, who takes on Schiavone in the opening rubber, is supported by Anna Chakevtadze in the No.2 slot; currently ranked No.22, the 22-year-old has won just four matches this season, and won't start as favorite against in-form world No.14 Flavia Pennetta on Saturday. At this stage Nadia Petrova, ranked 12 places higher than Chakvetadze at No.10, is down to play only the doubles with teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, against Sara Errani and last week's Barcelona titlist, Roberta Vinci - who has a perfect record in Fed Cup play.

In the Czech Republic, Saturday's first match will see Bethanie Mattek-Sands open proceedings against Petra Kvitova. The American had been due to make her competition debut in February when the USA faced Argentina, but a hip injury forced her out. For her part, Kvitova collected her first Tour title at Hobart in January, and won both her singles rubbers in the Czech Republic's first round defeat of 2008 finalists Spain. Ranked No.29, Iveta Benesova is the home side's No.1, and is set to play 19-year-old Alexa Glatch, ranked No.114, second up. Co-world No.1 Liezel Huber is on hand for the doubles, and is slated to partner Mattek-Sands against Benesova and Kveta Peschke on Sunday.

Elsewhere, France, humbled 5-0 by Italy in February, must fight to avoid relegation in a World Group Play-off against Slovakia, with Alizé Cornet and Amélie Mauresmo taking on Dominika Cibulkova and Daniela Hantuchova in Limoges. France has never fallen from the World Group, but is stuck in the Play-offs for the third time in four years. In Frankfurt, freshly-crowned Charleston champion Sabine Lisicki and Anna-Lena Groenefeld headline Germany's bid to rejoin the World Group, against a Chinese side featuring Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai. Argentina's Jorgelina Cravero is No.1 against a Ukraine side featuring Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko and Mariya Koryttseva in Mar Del Plata.

Many eyes will be on Lleida, Spain, where Serbian stars Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic hope to make history by elevating their country to the premier league. To do so they'll have to beat two top claycourters in Anabel Medina Garrigues and María José Martínez Sánchez, but it will help that Jankovic's confidence was boosted by her title run in Marbella earlier this month.

World Group II Play-offs are also being held this weekend, with Australia hosting a Patty Schnyder-less Switzerland on grass at Mildura; Israel travelling to Tallinn in Estonia; Belgium playing Canada at home in Hasselt; and the Radwanska sisters leading the Polish charge against Japan - victims of Serbia in the last round - in Gdynia.